Top Three Most Studied Languages in the World?

Libelle Reiher   Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:30 pm GMT
Can we find data on this together? I have found data that is conflicting. I am NOT talking about languages most SPOKEN, but I am talking about which languages people voluntarily choose to study as a foreign language. Almost all the data I have seen puts English first and German third, but some put French second and some put Japanese second, and one put German second.

Can anyone find data on this? I will find what I have and post it.

Libelle
Nina   Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:42 pm GMT
What about the classical Greek,Latin but also the "language of God" hebrew?

There have been written tones of books about these languages.
Libelle Reiher   Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:57 pm GMT
Here is what I have found so far...



http://www.beloit.edu/~mll/inside/german/german.htm

Lists 1. English, 2. Japanese 3. German



http://www.planetservices.it/english/english-french-translations.html

Lists 1. English 2. French (but does not give 3rd; however, says that English and French are "the only two global languages"


http://www.fll.vt.edu/French/whyfrench.html

Another one attesting to the prwess of French (and also claiming French to be #2 after English in the world)



This one, posted on the Ivy League Dartmouth College in the United States, says: "In most countries in the world, French and German are, after English, the most frequently taught foreign languages. In the countries that have recently joined the European Union, 77% of students learn English, 37% German, and 18% French. In Japan, 68% of all students learn German."

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~german/gerwhy.html

1. English 2. French 3. German


Can anyone else find sources on this topic? It seems to be more difficult to find worldwide statistics than for on continents, etc.
Libelle Reiher   Tue Feb 20, 2007 4:00 pm GMT
Nina, you asked about my sources in another thread: here they are.

Also, I don't know about Latin and ancient Greek worldwide, but I took Latin in junior high school and high school and one semester of ancient Greek. Back then there wrere only 5 students in our classes but dozens in the modern languages. I have no idea what it is like elsewhere, but I do know that some Germans still study Latin as well (I am from the U.S.).
Sam   Tue Feb 20, 2007 7:05 pm GMT
I read that in a Berlitz repport. It seems very serious.

1. ENGLISH 69%
2. FRENCH 7%
3. SPANISH 6%
4. GERMAN 5%
5. CHINESE 2%
6. ITALIAN 2%
7. OTHERS 9%

They say that in the last 15 years only English, Spanish and Chinese have an important increase. The tendency of French, German and Italian (the last one more) is to loose students. This repport is very interesting and it shows the future tendencies.
Ele   Tue Feb 20, 2007 7:27 pm GMT
Top Three Most Studied Languages by whom?

by students or by professors?
From Spain   Tue Feb 20, 2007 7:51 pm GMT
Regarding the most studies languages in the USA please report to:

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0905275.html

Spanish is, obviously, the most studies language in higher education in the USA. It's hardly surprising at all that French and German are far behind and second and third. Times have changed and will change even more.


Most Studied Foreign Languages
in the U.S.1
Language Fall 2002
enrollments % change
from 1998
1. Spanish 746,267 13.7%
2. French 201,979 1.5
3. German 91,100 2.3
4. Italian 63,899 29.6
5. American Sign Language 60,781 432.22
6. Japanese 52,238 21.1
7. Chinese 34,153 20.0
8. Latin 29,841 14.1
9. Russian 23,921 0.5
10. Ancient Greek3 20,376 24.2

1. By number of foreign language enrollments in U.S. institutions of higher education.
2. This is larger than the actual growth rate; it reflects past underreporting.
3. If combined, Biblical Hebrew and Modern Hebrew claim 10th place, with 22,802 enrolled and a 44% change.
Source: Association of Departments of Foreign Languages at the Modern Language Association, Foreign Language Enrollments in United States Institutions of Higher Education, Fall 2002.


Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
From Spain   Tue Feb 20, 2007 8:02 pm GMT
Regarding the situation in Europe I have found this interesting article although it refers to the situation in 1994-95, over 10 years ago. The order, regarding a foreign language for non-native speakers, would be English, French, German and Spanish.
It's interesting to note that the Spaniards hardly learn any French any longer and have hardly ever learnt any German. In 1994-95, 33% of French secondary school students were already learning Spanish. The trend, regarding Spanish as an international language, both in the USA and Europe (also in the other continents) is a fact amongst the younger generation. It also very much depend on where in Europe you live.

According to television news today, a European report states that Spain would be the first choice for younger non-Spanish generations wishing to follow a professional career abroad.

I'm now being very serious and I will remain as serious as the discussions requires.

FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN NON-UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
The growing internationalisation of today's society has made the speaking of several languages into one of the main assets as regards human resources in the metropolitan area as a whole. The use of foreign languages has become an important work tool and an essential vehicle for reception of the new technologies coming from abroad.

Over recent years, there has been an appreciable rise in the knowledge of foreign languages by the population of Metropolitan Bilbao, not to mention the number of youngsters who are taking their university studies in other languages, thanks to the knowledge acquired prior to starting their university education.

In most of the Member States of the European Union, early experience of teaching a foreign language is progressing efficiently. When the language is obligatory, it is normally taught as from the third year of primary school, with certain exceptions, such as Luxembourg or France, where they start earlier.

The most common foreign language taught in primary education within the European Union is English. This language is studied by 26% of the non-anglophone students in Europe. Moreover, the countries that study English most are Spain and Finland. The second language is French, with an overall average of 4%.

In Spain and Finland, more than half of the primary school children studies a foreign language. In Denmark, France, Italy and Sweden, the percentage is somewhere between 19% and 48%. Finally, Ireland does not teach a second language to children at primary school.

During the first stage of higher education (obligatory), the learning of several foreign languages is an obligation, except in Ireland, where they are only optional subjects. In some countries the obligatory curriculum includes two foreign languages (Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Holland, Finland, and Sweden), or sometimes even three (Luxembourg). The possibility of learning an extra foreign language is offered as an option in most of the Member States.

In general, all of the education systems offer the opportunity to learn a foreign language. Thus, in the Member States for which data is available, the average amount of foreign languages studied by each student during general secondary education is 1.3.

English is, by far, the foreign language most studied during secondary education. The other official languages of the European Union are not offered as often on the curricula in view of the lower student demand for them. This is why the average in the EU as a whole, and for the 1994/95 school year, was 89% as regards English, while 32% studied French, 18% German and only 8% Spanish.

In France, a third of general secondary education students studied Spanish during the 1994/95 school year. In Luxembourg, the percentage was 10%. In the other Member States, the percentage was never over 5% and in some States it was non-existent.


XXX
Franc   Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:04 pm GMT
Hi Libelle,

How do you say "what time is it ?" in German. I'm seriously thinking in learning German. Would you help me with any doubt ? I will download some classes from the internet. :)
La Suisse (Switzerland)   Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:58 pm GMT
Wir sagen "wie spät ist es?" (We say "wie spät ist es?" for "what time is it?" ) But this is what we say in German of Switzerland, maybe they say different in Germany.
Libelle Reiher   Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:00 pm GMT
Hallo la Suisse,

Nein, es ist auch so in Deutschland.

Grüß,
Libelle
Libelle to Ele   Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:02 pm GMT
Ele,

Just by everyone -- whoever wants to study them.

Regards,
Libelle
the big kahuna   Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:13 pm GMT
What a bunch of hokey pokey, malarky mumbo jumbo.
Libelle Reiher   Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:27 pm GMT
Again, I am looking for worldwide; I mean in the entire world as a whole, not just the USA or the EU, for example. I know it goes in the US: Spanish, then French, then German, (for top 3). I know it goes in the European Union:

1. English
2. German
3. French

I will post the EU stats soon -- it actually breaks them down country-by-country, which is pretty interesting.

Regards,
Libelle
j-p.a   Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:54 pm GMT
I think :

English
Chinese
French

English, obviously, then Chinese because so many people in Asia learn it as well as in other continents. Then French as it is a traditional second language to learn in many places.